dmlcentral.net
On the Importance of Webmaking
I’ve come to realize over the last couple of years just how important the Open Web is for online innovation. It’s a standards-based platform that allows anyone to use relatively low-cost technologies to connect things and people together in new ways. It’s radical in its egalitarian, open, and democratic approach.
But it’s under threat.… more
Learning from Kony 2012
In March of this year, as I taught my winter lecture class that focuses on Public Rhetoric and Practical Communication Online, I began to receive urgent e-mails from students about a viral video produced by a group called Invisible Children, which my undergraduates implored me to watch. A number of the messages came with warnings that it would require thirty minutes of my time and attention. A typical cautionary message read as follows: “you should really watch the whole thing in o… more
PortoAlegre.cc: Giving A City Back to Its Citizens
Several new projects are trying to use cyberspace as a platform to help citizens build an information network and share information about their cities. One effort that has achieved significant traction is PortoAlegre.cc, a platform for the citizens of Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil to interact, share information about their city, and mobilize for cause.… more